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In the hushed chamber of the Supreme Those who get diverted to drug, court
Court of Georgia fast week* a group of six peo- are feeing prosecution on low-level criminal £
pie who once faced the possibility of going to charges or have failed a drug test while on .
jail, along with a life damaged by drug addic- probation and are going to be sent back to & :
tion, found themselves being honored by some prison,
of the state's highest ranking officials. Successful completion of the drug court
Gov. Nathan Deal told the group, "You are program, which includes a requirement to pass
our Exhibit A that drag courts work. Your sue- many drug tests, offers them a chance to wipe
cess wiU validate the judgment the General the slate dean.
Assembly has made to expand these pro- The Gwinnett drug court has graduated t
grams... Don't let us down." 121 people so far, although not everyone has .
Supreme Court Chief justice George Cartey' / succeeded in staying out of trouble. Ray estH
stepped forward and said: "Ybu have proven mated there's a 10 to IS percent recidivism
you can change your life m a positive way, - • rate among the program's graduates, but said
and we're aU supporting you. Thank you that's stiU better than the rate among
for letting me be part of this." those prosecuted in the traditional
These six people were the latest ^ court system and sent to prison,
to complete the counseling and Ray is stepping down as drug
treatment that are part of the court judge, because he is now
Gwinnett County drug court pro- head of the Georgia Council of
gram, Gwinnett, like other coun- Superior Court Judges. He is
ties around the state, established SHKKffHRHB turning over the job to Superior
a drug court as an alternative to Rf Court Judge Tom Davis, a Navy
sending peopie to prison or keep- veteran and former prosecutor
ing them under the costly supervi- with the Gwinnett district attor-
sion of probation officers. ne/soffce.
Deal, who supports these courts as Davis recalled that when the idea of
a^noro economical wayib spend tax doKars, t#^as drug court was %st proposed about eight l ;
noted in his remarks that hits son, Superior years ago, he and the district attorney had a
Court Judge Jason Beat, was at that very ; long discussion about it. "Danny Porter and
moment presiding over rtfcttg- court sesswji. 1 agreed this would be* crashing waste of '
"I made it, and I really d^t thmk I time," Davis says,
could," said a young woman who was the As he has seen the drug court operate, that
deughter of a deputy sheriff but had stid got- viewpoint has changed,
ten caught op fo a Wpg habit "This- is. the "Our commitment to the program is rock
greatest scrampUshmeafcfifcfey \ f M
Gwinnett Superior Ccmrt JudgeB% Ray It is easy tc criticize government programs
has been the drug court judge? since the pro- as a waste of taxpayer dollars that accomplish
gtamfibegfoning and pressed over the gradu- nothing. Such criticism is often accurate. The
atwo cerotaopyt X \-' s V drug court graduation ceremony tart week was
/• - *%seasy to be hard as*judge, to sen- a reminder that sometimes government pro-*^
fence someone to go to prison," said Ray grams can provide help to people who really
who war once a state senator. When he first need it to turn their lives around,
became fovolvedtn drug court, Ray said* it . I know at least six peopie who would agree
required an attitude adjustment for someone with that
who had ran for political office pledging to
"get tough Cflufti** f Tom Cr^wlofti tc^Hwforci^^Q3i£{}ori%coiT!
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